The 2024 Paris Olympics officially kick off with the opening ceremony on July 26, but “Olympic Tok” is already in full swing.
Whether they’re rising stars or well-known figures on the world stage, athletes are taking to TikTok to give their followers a front-row look at their lives leading up to the Games. From documenting their complimentary haircuts, blowouts and baking classes to trying on clothing from their country’s official outfitter and addressing the great air-conditioning debacle, many of this year’s competitors are incredibly online and ready to share with their fans, new and old.
Sarah Douglas, a competitive sailor for Team Canada, has been actively documenting her journey to the Olympics on the social media platform. The gold medalist has shared several facets of her experience so far, including what she’s packing for her second Olympic Games, her red-and-white Canadian-inspired manicure and her thoughts on competing at 30 years old. In her most watched video, which has nearly 7 million views and over 800,000 likes, Douglas shows off her Team Canada x Lululemon athlete kit.
“I was training with youth athletes in Toronto before coming for the Olympics and they all really wanted me to do a haul for our Team Canada gear and really encouraged me to share my Olympic experience [online],” she told Yahoo Entertainment. “I’ve always shared behind the scenes and the journey to the Olympic games, so TikTok is a fun way to do it.”
Aleah Finnegan, 21, may be making her Olympics debut this year, but online, she’s a seasoned content creator who actively posts about her life as a competitive gymnast. Representing Team Philippines at this year’s Games, Finnegan’s Olympics content is all-encompassing and covers everything from her “Olympic Village Dining Hall experience” to what it’s like to train at an Olympics gymnastics facility.
With over 981,000 followers, Daria Saville is popular in both her sport and on the internet. The Australian professional tennis player has the ability to make even the most mundane, everyday activities — like buying her own toilet paper or doing laundry in the Olympic Village — seem fascinating. In her Olympics vlog, which has amassed 2.2 million views since she posted it on July 22, Saville documents a typical training day in Paris that’s complete with timestamps and cameos from Team Australia’s skateboard and diving teams.
For Evy Leibfarth, who calls herself “full time athlete” and “part time TikToker” in her bio, her videos show unboxing hauls from Team USA sponsors including Ralph Lauren, the country’s official outfitter, as well as Nike and Skims. The 20-year-old kayak and canoe athlete told Yahoo that she “always loved” seeing social media content from athletes competing in the Olympic Games when she was younger, so she wanted to give her fans the same access.
“At my last Olympics, I didn’t really get to [film content] because I got really stressed out and kind of turned my phone off,” she said. “But this time, I’m excited to show everyone the questions that I had when I was younger.”
Leibfarth hopes her videos can help educate people on kayaking as an Olympic sport.
“I think that it is one of those very small sports that a lot of people really just don’t know about. And I think it’s really exciting to watch,” she explained. “ It’s really cool kind of getting to use my social media platform to show people that.”
EMEA Tribune is not involved in this news article, it is taken from our partners and or from the News Agencies. Copyright and Credit go to the News Agencies, email news@emeatribune.com Follow our WhatsApp verified Channel